Method of and apparatus for making brushes



p 1943- R. o. PETERSON METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FQR HAKING BRUSHES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 9. 1943 INVTOR.

RUBEN OPETERSON MiM QQ I P 9 R. o. PETERSON 2,449,668

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKINQBRU'SHES Filed Nov. 9, 1943 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 l6 \6 c |9 I8 a 20 2| O b 0 2o 6? 2| V as r as 3s mmvmk RUBEN OPETERSON MAM ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 21, 1948 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRUSHES Ruben 0. Peterson, University Heights, Ohio, as-

signor to The Osborn Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 9, 1943, Serial No. 509,585

9 Claims. l

The present improvements, relating as indicated to brush manufacture, have more particular regard to the manufactureof so-called brush strip whether intended for use as straight line brush elements or bent into circular form or wound spirally to form a cylindrical brush.

The method of making brush elements of the type in question at present in commercial use is substantially that shown and described in German Patent No. 243,744 of 1911 to Gustav Hohne; although a more practical apparatus and method are shown and described in U. S. Patent No. 1,963,045 to F. J. Bickel dated June 12, 1934. According to both these patents a continuous layer of brush material, cut to length, is fed onto a continuous flat strip, a retaining wire or equivalent retaining member is applied to such layer opposite such strip, and the latter is thereupon folded longitudinally so as correspondingly to fold such brush material about said retaining member. The method just described, it will thus be seen, involves cutting the brush material into "bristles" of desired length which is an operation not without difliculty and which involves more or less waste of material. Furthermore, the handling of such cut lengths of brush material presents a considerable problem as does also the feeding and placement thereof as a uniform layer onto the backing strip. For this reason special means have to be provided to hold! the bristles in place until the strip is finally bound about the retaining wire by bending the strip into channel form.

One principal object of the present invention is to avoid entirely the use of cut brush material or bristles. Instead a continuouslength of material is used, being wound about a mandrel as a stranded layer presenting two oppositely directed folds. Each such folded portion of the layer is then secured to a base either in the form of a metal channel, as described above, or other form. Thereupon, by severing the layer of brush material along lines parallel with but removed from such base two brush elements of the type in question are provided. Such element may be of any desired length and may be run off either straight or wound into spiral form from which latter, if desired, circular sections may be cut.

The stranded layer of brush material which is thus formed from a strand of indefinite length may be laid down and its folded edges secured to bases either discontinuously or continuously. However, the novel method of manufacture involved is particularly adaptable to continuous manufacture of brush strip which may be run off in indefinite lengths to be subsequently assembled in brushes, e. g. fiat, circular or cylindrical, as desired. I

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends. said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail certain means and one mode of carrying out the invention, such disclosed means and mode illustrating, however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of one simple form of apparatus for carrying out the first operative stage in my improved method of brush manufacture;

Fig. 2 illustrates the resulting product at an intermediate stage just after the strips which form the base are applied;

Fig. 3 is a cross section of such product at the same stage, as indicated by line 3-3. Fig. 2;

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the finished product in side elevation and transverse section respectively;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic representation, on the order of Fig. 1, of a form of apparatus designed I for carrying out my improved method of manufacturing brush strip as a continuous operation;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of still another form of apparatus for thus carrying out the operation continuously; and

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate detail modifications.

As indicated in the general statement of objects above, the principal elements of apparatus utilized in my improved method of manufacturing brush elements are a mandrel and a device for winding brush material around such mandrel so as to deposit the same on the latter in the form of a stranded layer of substantially uniform thickness. To accomplish deposit of brush material in this manner either the device which supplies the brush material may be rotated about the mandrel or the latter may be rotated so as to wind the material thereon. Similarly, in order to effect distribution of the wound material into a layer of uniform thickness along the mandrel, either the latter may be moved longitudinally relatively to the device which supplies the material, or vice versa.

Arr extremely simple apparatus embodying the foregoing elements is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. As there shown, the mandrel l is in the form of a thin fiat bar or strip which may be of any length convenient for handling and will preferably be relatively stiff, i. e. not flexible. The widthof said mandrel will be approximately equal to that of two finished brush strips or elements.

The thickness of the mandrel will be approximately that of the retaining wires a which, as described. enter into the construction of the brush strip, and the respective lateral edges of the strip are formed with grooves 2 each adapted to receive a length of such retaining wire a. The depth of such grooves will desirably be less than the diameter of the wire or equivalent retaining member so that when the latter is thus in place its outer surface will lie beyond the edge of the strip which comprises the mandrel.

' Mandrel I when in use will be mounted for rotation about a central longitudinal axis. To this end it is shown as provided with short projecting spindles 3 at each end, it being understood that these will be mounted in suitable bearings; also that a handle and some form of power drive may be applied to one or the other of such spindles to eflect the desired rotation during operation of the device.

As previously indicated, the brush material b will be in the form of strands of indefinite length. Such strands may be of any material suitable for use in brushes, by which term it is intended to include devices such as maps and the like. Thus such strands may consist of wires either single or multiple and twisted or untwisted. Likewise, they may consist of fibrous cords twisted or otherwise formed and treated, if desired, in various known ways to modify the action thereof in the finished brush. Such strands b of brush material are delivered onto the mandrel from corresponding rolls or bobbins 4, the material being conducted through a suitable guide 5 mounted in fixed or adjustable relation to said rolls or bobbins. The later, together with said guide, are furthermore mounted on a suitable support (not shown) capable of movement longitudinally of the mandrel I.

The operation of the apparatus as thus far described, and referring particularly to Fig. 1, may be conveniently described at this point. A suitable length of wire a. is first secured in each of the recesses 2 provided for the purpose in the respective edges of the mandrel, hooks 6 or equivalent means being provided for the purpose of temporarily retaining said wires thus in place. The free ends of the strands b of brush material are then secured to one face of the mandrel adjacent the one end thereof by means of a suitable clamp I for the purpose. Upon rotating the mandrel in the direction indicated by the curved arrow at the right hand end thereof and moving the brush material supply means comprising rolls 4 and guide 5 longitudinally of said mandrel in the .direction indicated by the straight arrow on Fig. l; a layer B of such brush material, will be wound upon the mandrel, such layer being folded more or less sharply where it passes around the respective edges of the mandrel and including within the folded portions thereof the wires a previously placed in the grooves in such edges.

The thickness of the brush material layer B may be varied by varying the number of strands'of brush material b which enter therein, or by varying the rate of traverse of the brush material supply longitudinally of the mandrel. After such layer has been deposited the length of the mandrel the component strands b may be secured by clamp 1 adjacent the opposite end of the mandrel and such strands thereupon severed.

The next step, illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, consists in applying to one or preferably both of the folded portions of the layer of brush material b 4 thus wound upon the mandrel a suitable securins element which, as shown, consists of channel c, preferably of thin sheet metal capable of being deformed. The side walls of such channel are initially spaced so as to fit snugly over the folded portions of the layer B of brush material including the retaining wire a which lies within each such folded portion. After applying said strips, said layer of brush material is then out along a median longitudinal line (i on both sides of the mandrel; the wires 0, if not previously released, are then unhooked from the mandrel and withdrawn, carrying with them a half section or folded brush material (see Figs. 4 and 5). Actually, as shown in the second of the figures just referred to, after such removal of the half section, the side walls of the channel 0 have been bent inwardly somewhat further than in their initial state as applied to the layer of brush material on the man-. drel, in order more firmly to clamp the folded portion of such layer about the retaining wire a and thus insure the permanent retention of the brush material in the base which such channel constitutes.

While the resulting product is a straight brush strip. as previously explained such brush strip may be bent to any desired form, e. g. into a circle or spiral depending upon the particular kind of brush wherein it is to be employed. This strip may of course be likewise cut up into shorter lengths to suit the particular use for which it is designed.

While the product obtained by the described operation of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 consists of two identical brush strips, it will be understood that the layer B of such material as wound on the mandrel, after having its folded portions secured in the base elements 0, instead of being severed along a median line :1 may be severed along median line (1' with the result that the one brush strip will be of greater depth than the other. It will also be understood that by omitting one of the base elements a brush strip equal in width substantially to that of the mandrel may be produced by severing the layer along a single line adjacent the unsecured folded portion of the layer. However, by severing the layer along two lines, one on each side of the mandrel, as in the preferred procedure described above. great advantage is obtained in that the free ends of the strands composing such layer are cut square across and do not require to be further trimmed before the resulting brush strip is made up into a brush; whereas such trimming, involving an extra operation and a considerable waste of material, is a necessary step in the present method of manufacturing brush strips of the type in question where separate lengths of the brush material are folded upon a retaining wire, since the ends of the outer strands upon being folded will necessarily fail to match the ends of the inner folded strands.

The modified construction of apparatus, illustrated in Fig. 6, is designed to produce brush strips of indefinite length in counterdistinction to predetermine lengths as in the case of the apparatus just described. The apparatus of Fig. 6 is furthermore designed for continuous, in counter distinction to discontinuous, operation.

The mandrel 10 in such continuous strip forming apparatus is in general of the same construction as the mandrel l in the first described form except that its length has no relation to the length of the layer of brush material to be wound thereon. Furthermore, such mandrel does not cases require to be rotatably mounted, but instead is held at its respective ends between fixed supports II, II. Furthermore, no means for securing the end of the strands B of brush material to the mandrel nor for holding the retaining wires a, a in the grooved edges of the mandrel are required. The wires in question instead of being fixedly held in such edges during the operation of winding the brush material on the wire are fed thereto through guides i4 and then moved continuously therealong as the winding operation progresses.

For the purpose of applying the stranded brush material to the mandrel, an annular rotary carrier i5 is employed, being mounted on rollers It or equivalent supporting means so that its axis coincides with the median line of the mandrel. A plurality of rolls or spools l1 secured to said carrier I5 constitute the supply of stranded brush material, the strands b being led therefrom onto the mandrel just as they are in the case of the first described apparatus.

Spaced a short distance from the plane of carrier is are two pairs of rolls l8, I! located adiacent the respective edges of the mandrel and adapted to receive channel strips c' which constitute the bases of the respective brush strips produced by the apparatus. These strips may be partially shaped before they reach the rolls i8, i8, and the latter, as need not be described in detail, will then have their peripheries formed so as not only to guide the strips onto the folded portions of the layer B of brush material, but at least partially clamp such strips onto such folded portions. The strips 0, 0, whether previously partially channeled orflat, are guided to the edges of the mandrel and thus between rolls i8, ll by suitable guides l9.

Spaced a short distance beyond the paired rolls, rotary cutters 20 or equivalent shearing means are rovided one above and the other below the mandrel so as to sever the layer of brush material as it moves longitudinally along the mandrel. Such movement of the layer of brush material with applied channel strips is conveniently obtained by means of paired gripping rollers 2i, 2| which contact with opposite sides of the channel bases at point beyond the right hand end of the mandrel and so also beyond the point at which the layer of brush material is severed by the cutters 20. These rolls 21 will desirably be power driven and the pressure which they exert in order to grip therespective channel strips for the purpose of thus drawing the latter through the machine will be sufficient to also close the side walls of the channel upon the folded portion of the layer of brush material held therein by the retaining wire, i. e. produce a brush strip in the finished condition illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

The form of apparatus diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. '7, like that illustrated in Fig. 6, is designed to carry out the operation continuously, i. e. produce brush strips of indefinite length. This construction is particularly adaptable to the production of such strips where a relatively thick layer of brush material is desired.

Such material is in the form of strands b as before, but preferably associated in groups and supplied from a relatively large reel 25. The groups may consist either of strands in parallel or twisted together. Reel 25 is rotatably mounted on a suitable support 26 through the medium of a driven spindle 21 and aligned with such spindle is a second driven spindle or shaft 28 which is hollow and provided with guide means such as rollers 28 whereby the brush material may be drawn oil from reel 25 and conducted to a'mandrel 30. The latter will be of substantially the same construction as mandrel II in the previously described form of apparatus and will have associated with it similar means (not illustrated) for supplying retaining wires thereto and for applying the channel bases to the folded portions of the layer of brush material wound around the mandrel, as well as means for severme such layer of brush material so. as to produce two finished brush strips.

By varying the relative speeds of spindle 28 and the travel of the retaining wires about which the material is wound the deposit of the layer of brush material on the mandrel may be controlled so as to make such layer of any desired thickness, and since the reel 25 may be made of considerable capacity, the operation may be continued for a considerable time without having to be interrupted to replenish the supply of brush material.

While in the several forms of apparatus illustratedin the figures previously described, the mandrel is in the form of a relatively thin flat bar or strip, such mandrel may be of more or less rounded or oval form in cross section as in the case of. the mandrel 35 illustrated in Fig. 8 where the grooves 36 in which the retaining wires are received are located in the opposite narrow edges. Instead of being provided with merely two such grooved edges the mandrel may have more than two such grooves and more than two faces intermediate thereof, upon which the layer of brush material is laid. Thus the modified mandrel 31 lllustrated in Fig. 9 has three grooved edges 38, with slightly curved or contoured faces located therebetween, in which a corresponding number of retaining wires may be placed. The layer of brush material after the binding strips have been applied will then be out along three lines intermediate of the respective edges with the result that three instead of two brush strips will be simultaneously produced.

Particularly in the case of the continuously operating machines illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 where brush strips of indefinite length are produced, such strips, if desired, may be wound in the form of a spiral directly onto a rotary drum or mandrel as described in the previously cited patent to Bickel No. 1,963,045. Such spirally wound brush strips may then be used as a cylindrical brush of indefinite length, or by being cut up into cil cular sections may be used as annular brush elements either independently or in groups to form a cylindrical brush of limited longitudinal extent. 0n the other hand, such strips may be cut into straight lengths for use in flat brushes.

It will be understood that the form of the channel base employed to bind the folded portions of the layer of brush material to the retaining wires, as well as the form of the latter, may bevaried. In particular, such base instead of being a plain channel will desirably be formed with inwardly projecting teeth as illustrated in the above cited Bickel patent, and other means for securing the bases of the brush strips may of course be employed where capable of being applied to the folded portions of the layer of brush material while still wound upon the mandrel or incidentally to the passage of such layer of material beyond the mandrel in the case of the continuously operating forms of apparatus.

This application discloses but does not claim certain subject-matter disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 868,890 filed May 9, 1946.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the means and the steps herein disclosed. provided those stated by any of the following claims or their equivalent be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a method of making a brush element of the character described, the steps which consist in winding the brush material in the form of one or more strands around a mandrel, relatively moving the latter axially while the material is being wound thereon, preliminarily confining and binding such wound material exteriorly of said mandrel along a line thereon parallel with such direction of movement, then severing such wound material along a line spaced from such firstmentioned line, removing the material thus preliminarily bound from said mandrel and finally completing the binding of such wound material along such line.

2. In a method of making a brush element of the'type in which stranded brush material is looped upon an extended retaining member, the steps ,which consist in disposing such retaining member longitudinally and exteriorly of the surface of a suitable mandrel, winding the brush material around such mandrel with such retaining member thereon while simultaneously moving such mandrel in a relative axial direction, preliminarily securing such wound material to such retaining member while still supported by said mandrel, severing such wound material along a line spaced from such retaining member, removing the material thus preliminarily secured from said mandrel, and finally completing the binding of such material to said retaining member.

3. In a method of making a brush element of the type in which stranded brush material is looped upon an extended retaining member, the steps which consist in disposing such retaining member along and exteriorly of the edge of a flattened mandrel, winding the brush material around such mandrel with such retaining member thereon while simultaneously moving such mandrel in a relative axial direction, applying a channel-form strip over such wound material and retaining member while still supported by said mandrel, whereby the brush material is preliminarily secured to said member, then severing such wound material along a line spaced from such retaining member, removing the material thus preliminarily secured to said retaining member from such mandrel and then finally compressing the sides of such strip so as permanently to bind the brush material to said retaining member.

4. In a method of making a brush element of the type in which stranded brush material is looped upon an extended retaining member, the steps which consist in disposing at least two such retaining members longitudinally and exteriorly of the surface of a suitable mandrel, winding the brush material around such mandrel with such retaining members thereon while simultaneously moving such retaining members longitudinally of such mandrel, preliminarily securing such wound material to such retaining members while still supported by such mandrel, severing suchwound material along a line intermediate of such retaining members, and finally completing the binding of such material to the 8 retaining members at a point where such retaining members have passed beyond the end of the mandrel. 1

ii. In a method of making a brush element of the type in which stranded brush material is looped upon an extended retaining member, the steps which consist in disposing at least two such retaining members longitudinally and exteriorly of the surface of a suitable mandrel, winding the brush material around such mandrel with such retaining members thereon while simultaneously moving such retaining members longitudinally of such mandrel, forming channel-form backs to such wound material about each of such retaining members to preliminarily secure such wound material to such retaining members while still supported by such mandrel, severing such wound material along a line intermediate of such retaining members, and finally compressing the sides of such channel-form backs at a point where such retaining members have passed beyond the end of such mandrel to complete the binding of such wound material to such retaining members.

6. In a method of making a brush element of the character described, the steps which consist in winding the brush material in the form of one or more strands about a mandrel, continuously moving such wound material axially of such mandrel as it is wound thereon, continuously confining and binding such wound material laterally exteriorly of such mandrel along a line thereon parallel with such direction of movement and at a point where such material is still supported on such mandrel, and then severing such wound material ailon a line spaced from such first mentioned 1 ne.

7. In a method of making a brush element of the type in which stranded brush material is looped upon an extended retaining member, the steps which consist in disposing such retaining member longitudinally and exteriorly of the surface of a suitable mandrel, winding the brush material around such mandrel with such retaining member thereon, moving such retaining memher and wound brush material axially of such mandrel, continuously securing such wound material to such retaining member at a point where still supported on such mandrel, such material being thus secured laterally exteriorly of such mandrel, and then severing such wound material along a line spaced from such retaining member.

8. In a machine for continuous manufacture of a brush element of the type described, the combination of a stationar flattened mandrel having a longitudinally extending recess in each side edge thereof adapted to receive a wire or like brush material retaining member, means adapted to move such members along such recess, respectively, a device rotatable around said mandrel for winding brush material thereon while such members travel along the recesses therein and carry such wound brush material along beyond the end of said mandrel, and means adapted to apply channel-form binding members exteriorly to the respective edges of such wound brush material and retaining members as the latter thus carry the former and while said retaining members are still supported by said mandrel.

9. In a machine for continuous manufacture of a brush element of the type described, the combination of a stationary flattened mandrel having a longitudinally extending recess in each side edge thereof adapted to receive a wire or like brush material retaining member, means adapted to move such members along such recesses, respec- 0 tively, a device rotatable around said mandrel for winding brush material thereon while such members travel along the recesses therein and carry such wound brush material along beyond the end of said mandrel, means adapted to apply channelform binding members exteriorly to the respective edges 0! such wound brush material and'retaining members as the latter thus carry the former and while said retaining members are still supported by said mandrel, and means adapted to sever such brush material along a line intermediate the binding members thus applied.

RUBEN 0. PETERSON.

nnrnnnncns crrnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 645,236 Schlegel Mar, 13, 1900 1,209,639 Carter Dec. '19, 1916 1,743,319 Cave et a1. Jan. 14, 1930 2,242,444 Altenbern et al. May 20, 1941 Woodling Nov.. 21, 1944 

